Diverse acts share Buskirk stage

The African American Arts Institute held its 10th annual "Potpourri of Arts in the African American Tradition" at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater Friday. The IU and Bloomington community poured into the theater an hour before the show began, eager to see and hear the sights and sounds for which the AAAI has gained national prominence.\nAfter a brief introduction by director of the AAAI Charles Sykes, darkness came over the theater and the IU Soul Revue gave the sell-out crowd its first taste of the arts from the African American perspective.\nThe Soul Revue, under the direction of Tyron Cooper, had the crowd on its feet and dancing to popular rhythm and blues tunes that ranged from the 1970s to the present. Songs by various artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire, WAR, Erykah Badu and Debarge were performed. Each of the singers' and band members' talent was featured in a different song.\n"Both contemporary hip hop and rhythm & blues recycle old music, and so we try to bridge the gap between the old school and the new school," Cooper said.\nThe audience expressed its approval of Soul Revue's varied musical performance through its vigorous hand-clapping \nand cheering. \nShortly after the intermission the African American Dance Company captured \nthe crowd's attention through its unique dancing.\nThe Dance Company began its performance with a bouncy, energetic routine. The pace of the dancing was so fast that people were simultaneously cheering and wiping sweat from their faces. The next performance by the Dance Company was a more deliberate and calculated dance, which portrayed a Sunday morning church service where the Holy Spirit comes over the church and causes its members to sing, shout and dance.\nIris Rosa, the director of the African American Dance Company, explained one of the Dance Company's primary motivations. \n"We focus on the experiences of African Americans and people of the African Diaspora," Rosa said. "Diaspora means that there is a dispersing of something and in this context it refers to the division of the native Africans."\nThe Dance Company ushered the capacity crowd into its next intermission and set the stage for the anticipated performance by the African American Choral Ensemble, under the direction of James Mumford. The Choral Ensemble featured a powerful gospel performance, which sought to create a church atmosphere. The Choral Ensemble also highlighted some of its individual talent through performances by its three small groups: Soul-ACE, God's Progress and Sojourner. The gospel performance resonated with the audience as participation was at its peak.\n"Very few colleges have the AAAI in all three areas where both whites and blacks are members," Munford said. "The Choral Ensemble gives non-black students a chance to see how black music affects all music."\nThe Choral Ensemble concluded its performance and served as a prelude to the finale which brought together all the groups that make up the AAAI. The Choral Ensemble and Soul Revue performed the lyrics of "Praz Him" as sung by artist Darwin Hobbs while the Dance Company entertained the crowd with its synchronized dance moves.\nAs the finale approached its end, the AAAI acknowledged its thanks to the Office of the Student Development and Diversity, Dennis Laffoon and Steve Ruiz for their efforts in helping to make Potpourri 2003 a success. A special thanks was also expressed for the efforts of all of the staff of the AAAI for facilitating the event through their various roles.\nFollowing the show, senior Stephaney Wright, who has witnessed three consecutive Potpourri events, gave her initial reaction to the performances. \n"It was fantastic," Wright said. "Every year it gets better and better."\nSenior Cassie Vitali, a close friend of one of the Soul Revue performers, shared her opinion of the event. \n"The whole thing was beautiful," Vitali said. \nClark Whitlow, one of the members of the original Soul Revue in 1973, was one of the many AAAI alumni amidst the substantial crowd. Whitlow said IU's black students of the 1970s performed musical and dance talent shows. From these shows, the idea for the AAAI was derived and championed by then-IU professor Herman Hudson.\n"Motown is dead, but the Soul Revue is still here," Whitlow said. "After 30 years they still maintain the fire and it is constantly evolving."\nThe present success achieved by the groups that comprise the AAAI has not distracted them from their core purpose: promoting and preserving African-American culture through performance, education, creative activity, research and outreach.\n"We are focused on recruiting black students to IU as well as helping to promote diversity in Indiana and abroad," AAAI director Sykes said. "The message we want to send to students is that they can go to school with the purpose of pursuing a degree and perform as well."\nThe next performance by both the Dance Company and Soul Revue is in December. The Dance Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4 in the Willkie Auditorium and the Soul Revue will perform at 8 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Madame Walker Theatre Center in Indianapolis. The Choral Ensemble's next performance will be at 8 p.m April 17 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.\n-- Contact staff writer Joshua Hamm at jodhamm@indiana.edu.